The good guys thread

Cape Coral firefighters rescue trapped ducklings

family of ducks fell into a storm drain in Mid cape on Monday.

Shortly before 10 a.m., resident Sandy Pizarro saw a mother duck and about 10 ducklings along NE 15 Place west of Del Prado.

“When I first saw them there was about 6-8 or so, but when I looked again when taking my daughter to the school bus I only saw four.”

When leaving again a short time later there was only one duckling and soon that one disappeared. Pizarro approached a dental office for help who in turn called the fire department.

Firefighters responded and discovered the ducklings had fallen through a very narrow grate at the entrance to Capri Commons. There was no way to open up the area and get down to the ducklings, which were approximately 2-3 feet below ground.

It didn’t take long for the crews to come up with a safe way to get to the ducks.

“Since there was no way to get down to the ducks, and since ducks love water, it made sense to float the ducks up to within reach,” said Michael Heeder, Public Information Officer for the Cape Coral Fire Department.

Firefighters used tank water to fill the drain. As the water rose inside the catch basin, the ducks floated toward the grate.

Engineer Todd Clark, using a pair of tongs, was able to reach in and pull the ducklings to safety all while the mother duck kept a watchful eye from a distance.

What was thought to be 8-10 ducks ended up being 20 ducklings, and all were saved by the firefighters. It took nearly an hour to catch all of the ducklings.

None of them were injured in the rescue effort and once all ducklings were removed, mother duck and children found shelter in a culvert nearby.

“While we do handle animal rescues including ducks on a fairly regular basis, each rescue itself is unique,” said Heeder. “We have to balance the need for helping with the need to have our units immediately available for fires and rescue calls in our community. That being said, we will always respond and assist when someone calls for help.”
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Entire Town Secretly Learns Sign Language to Give a Deaf Man Best Day of His Life

This was no ordinary day for a man who is hearing impaired.

On Dec. 24, 2014, Muharrem and his sister, Ozlem, took a walk around their town in Instanbul only to find that everyone they encountered greeted them in sign language.

In this Samsung commercial to promote the company's new video call center for the hearing impaired, the town is shown learning to sign in anticipation of the big day. Video cameras were also placed around the city and to capture those moments when Muharrem was greeted at a bagel shop, or offered an apple, or being apologized to when a woman bumps into him – all delivered in sign language.

As the events unfolded, Muharrem grew increasingly confused along the way, until he came to a Samsung representative and a sign that explained what was going on. The rep also signed to him, "A world without barriers is our dream as well."

What follows is a greeting by neighbors as Muharrem tears up and hugs them all.
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Shawn and Alisa Johnson Find Homes for Dogs While Their Owners are Deployed

Instead of being forced to relinquish their pets, active members of the military now have a place to house their pets during deployment: Dogs on Deployment.

DoD connects members of the military with able-bodied individuals willing to take in their pets while they serve their country.

The organization came to fruition in June of 2011 when San Diego natives Alisa Sieber-Johnson (now a first lieutenant of the U.S. Marine Corps) and her husband, Shawn Johnson (a lieutenant of the U.S. Navy) struggled to find someone to watch their two Australian shepherds when they were being stationed on opposite coasts.

"We didn't have immediate family who could keep our dogs," Sieber-Johnson, 27, tells PEOPLE. "Our organization exists to ensure that your pets can stay a part of your family no matter what."

So far, DoD has provided over 650 members of the military with boarding placement and financial support across the United States and abroad.

"It's important to know that your dogs are in a safe and comfortable environment while you're away – whether it's for a weekend or several years," says Sieber-Johnson.

When U.S Army 1st Lt. Gretchen Zilka, 25, and her husband, Lt. Benedict Zilka, 25, prepared to deploy from Fort Bliss, Texas to Afghanistan in April 2013, her husband was also deploying, though a few months later, in November.

They had no idea what to do with Tango, their five-year-old terrier mix.

DoD found Amanda Lopez-Askin – an animal rights advocate from Las Cruces, New Mexico – and the couple knew they were in good hands. Lopez-Askin, 40, cared for Tango for nine months.

"Dogs on Deployment laid out everything for us – from contracts to veterinary care," Lopez-Askin tells PEOPLE. "It's a one-stop shop; and they made it easy."

Lopez-Askin assured the Zilkas that she and her family would be equipped to do right by them and their dog because no person serving his or her country should have to stress over finding a secure home for his or her pet upon being deployed.

"We were going to make sure that [Tango] was very well taken care of," Askin tells PEOPLE.

"I think that anybody who really appreciates the sacrifice that soldiers make in their personal lives can get on board with [DoD]," she says, "And if they love animals, it's the perfect marriage between the two things."

Sieber-Johnson says the group gives soldiers something priceless: peace of mind.

"To take on a mission, your mind needs to be in a healthy place in order to have a successful deployment," she says, "and you need to be mentally, physically and emotionally set to deploy."
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Sunday started out as a normal day waiting tables for Claire Hudson.

The 25-year-old was working a double shift for her job at local burger joint, Mac's Grub Shak, when something amazing happened.

"It was actually a really slow day and then this couple came in," said Hudson of Spring Hill, Tennessee. "I didn’t even realize the tip until after they were gone."

The unidentified diners had left a $36 tip on a bill that couldn't have been more than $30, Hudson told ABC News.

"I would’ve liked to have caught them and said 'hey this is awesome!,' she said. "They did it anonymously and it was really sweet."

In addition to the $36, the couple also left Hudson with a note explaining the heartfelt meaning behind the digits.

"Today is my brother's b-day," it said, written behind the credit card receipt. "He would have been 36 today. Every year I go eat his favorite meal (hot dogs) and tip the waitress his age. Happy B-day Wes."

"I was in tears when I read it," Hudson said. "I had to go in the back of the restaurant and compose myself before I went out to my other tables."

About three hours after the experience, Hudson posted an image of her customer's note on Reddit.

"When I woke up I was on the front page," she said. "It had over 1.5 million views on Imgur and 350K upvotes on Reddit."

In light of her story going viral, Hudson and the restaurant owner hope to track down the kind patron that left the tip.

"We want to see what his brother Wes liked on his hot dogs because we'd like to name a hot dog after him," she said.

"I have a friend, he was my best friend, he died about three years ago. This experience has definitely given me the idea to do the same thing on his birthday every year. It was deeply moving and just the coolest thing that’s ever happened."

http://www.viralnova.com/tips-do-mat...n%202015-03-15

Instead Of A Tip, This Polite Server Was Given The Chance To Change His Life

MARCH 14, 2015

Brian Maixner recently served attorney Fred Boettcher a meal at Doo-Dah Diner in Wichita, KS. Boettcher was struck by the cheerful demeanor of Maixner, but also by Maixner's dental problems. Maixner's smile was genuine, but Boettcher recognized the signs of a painful infection, as he'd suffered from a similar condition as a child.
"He carried himself with such kindness and confidence with a mouth that looked painful. I was struck by that," Boettcher said. Maixner's predicament struck him so much that he decided to personally do something about it.

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Elite Daily


Brian Maixner (seated) behind the scenes at the Doo-Dah Diner in Wichita.

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Elite Daily



Instead of leaving a conventional tip, Boettcher instead asked the owner of the diner if it would be acceptable for him to fund Maixner's dental work. When Maixner heard the news, he shed tears of joy.
"This man doesn't know me and this is something I could never afford to do for myself. It touched me so much that he cared," Maixner said.
Boettcher referred Maixner to his own dentist in Ponca City, OK, who has, to date, performed thousands of dollars worth of work on Maixner's teeth.
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Elite Daily


The before and after pictures of Maixner, showing what difference a smile can make.

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Elite Daily


Fred Boettcher, on the left.

Boettcher is one of the first people to make lawyer jokes, but he lives by a principle of kindness and generosity. "No matter what religion you might be or whether you even believe in an afterlife, the way to be satisfied in your life is to be kind to everybody and be as generous as you possibly can be," he maintains. His daughter, Meredith Boettcher Young, was there at the diner the day he decided to help Maixner. According to her, acts of kindness like this are not out of character for her dad.
"I remember him buying groceries for people in need when we were growing up," she recalls.
http://images.viralnova.com/000/124/...1426088078.jpg
Elite Daily


Maixner has made several trips to Boettcher's dentist in Ponca City so far, but he still has a number of procedures to go.

Today, Maixner's smile has been repaired. He's undergone several procedures that replaced his damaged teeth with temporary dentures. After a six- to eight-month healing period, those dentures will be replaced with permanent ones. And Maixner, who was cheerful even before, continues to smile brightly.
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Elite Daily


Maixner's repaired teeth make a huge difference in his comfort, and also make him appear much younger.

(via Elite Daily, KWCH)
As for Boettcher, he maintains that he's also gained happiness by giving this gift to Maixner, who calls it a "life changer." For him, helping other people is true happiness, and he encourages all people to help others to the best of their ability.

Here Comes the Sunflower
She had no coins for the woman, but her Pomeranian's gift was of more value.
by Kirsten Anderson

“Come on, Sunflower,” I pleaded. “It’s cold!” My orange Pomeranian had sniffed every inch of sidewalk outside the door of my New York City apartment all the way around the block. This was my little angel’s idea of fun, but it was a dark January night and I wanted to get back inside.

Sunflower had other ideas. She headed to the subway entrance and pushed a candy wrapper with her nose. “Any change?” a woman at the top of the steps asked. She held a cup that jingled when she shook it.

I hadn’t brought my purse. Sunflower trotted over to the woman, wagging her tail as if to apologize.

“I love animals!” the woman said, bending down to admire Sunflower. “Animals don’t lie or tell stories or do bad things to you.”

Sunflower popped her paws up on the woman’s knees and gave her a big kiss. “I’m sorry I don’t have any money on me,” I said.

The woman looked up with teary eyes. “That’s okay. This is better than a million dollars,” she said. “Good night, Miss.”

“Good night,” I said, tearing up myself. Sunflower just wagged her tail. She had given what she could–love. The best gift of all.

http://www.guideposts.org/sites/guid...?itok=oWFsTPxy

Awww, I love that story.:love::love:

Love the "Dogs on Deployment" one - LH often remarked, when he was stationed at Fort Drum, how sad it was to visit the local shelter and see the dogs of folks he knew had just been deployed overseas, to places like Afghanistan or others where taking a dog was not an option.

It did cause me a bit of pause, though, the reporter used "Dod" as an acronym fr it, and anyone who has family in- or concerns about- the military knows that's the Department of Defense! And I was curious how they got a government agency involved before I realized it was not!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kuhio98

Here Comes the Sunflower
She had no coins for the woman, but her Pomeranian's gift was of more value.
by Kirsten Anderson

“Come on, Sunflower,” I pleaded. “It’s cold!” My orange Pomeranian had sniffed every inch of sidewalk outside the door of my New York City apartment all the way around the block. This was my little angel’s idea of fun, but it was a dark January night and I wanted to get back inside.

Sunflower had other ideas. She headed to the subway entrance and pushed a candy wrapper with her nose. “Any change?” a woman at the top of the steps asked. She held a cup that jingled when she shook it.

I hadn’t brought my purse. Sunflower trotted over to the woman, wagging her tail as if to apologize.

“I love animals!” the woman said, bending down to admire Sunflower. “Animals don’t lie or tell stories or do bad things to you.”

Sunflower popped her paws up on the woman’s knees and gave her a big kiss. “I’m sorry I don’t have any money on me,” I said.

The woman looked up with teary eyes. “That’s okay. This is better than a million dollars,” she said. “Good night, Miss.”

“Good night,” I said, tearing up myself. Sunflower just wagged her tail. She had given what she could–love. The best gift of all.

http://www.guideposts.org/sites/guid...?itok=oWFsTPxy

---

This is great!! It actually reminds me of something that happened to me back in January. I was about to go on vacation and lifted a weight wrong at the gym the day before we were to leave. Luckily, I already had a chiropractor appointment set for lunchtime the day we left. When I walked into the chiropractors office a little Pom (funny, same breed) was in the waiting area. I completely forgot about my pain and knelt down to pet the puppy. It made me so happy! :D

Rescuers Trying to Save One Dog Accidentally Save 12, Thanks to Selfless Stray

In Dallas, Texas, a group of dedicated animal rescuers had pursued an elusive pup who was determined to live in a patch of woods in a city park.

Recently, one of the equally determined rescuers was approached by the very dog she was looking for, who proceeded to bark at her and move deeper into the woods.

The rescuer, Marina, found herself surprised by the dog's behavior. "He's never acted like that before," she said. "I was worried that maybe he was sick or something happened to him."

When Marina followed the pup into the woods, she began to hear yapping, and realized that the stray dog she had intended to rescue knew of a group of pups who needed Marina's help even more than he did.

Beneath a burned tree near a muddy creek bed, Marina found a litter of cold, hungry puppies. The ten puppies were accompanied by their exhausted mother, all of whom clearly needed shelter and medical attention.

Global News reports that "the puppies and their mom, plus the abandoned dog, now aptly named Hero, are all safe and sound in a foster home." Link to video: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/video?autoSt...lipId=11231024
<script type='text/javascript' src='http://CBSDAL.images.worldnow.com/interface/js/WNVideo.js?rnd=357637;hostDomain=video.dallas.cbsl ocal.com;playerWidth=615;playerHeight=365;isShowIc on=true;clipId=11231024;flvUri=;partnerclipid=;adT ag=News;advertisingZone=CBS.DALLAS%252Fworldnowpla yer;enableAds=true;landingPage=;islandingPageoverr ide=false;playerType=STANDARD_EMBEDDEDscript;contr olsType=fixed'></script><a href="http://video.dallas.cbslocal.com" title=""></a>

Another thread on this story with great photos: http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...-Huge-Surprise

Fun use of foreign pocket change to aid a charity (from Good News Network)

Ever step off a plane and realize you have a pocket full of foreign change?

The Swedish Red Cross and airport operator, Swedavia, have come up with an idea to take care of those spare coins while supporting a good cause — and letting travelers have a little fun while waiting for buses or baggage.

They’ve turned the vintage arcade games, Ms. Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Galaga, into donation boxes at two airports, Stockholm Arlanda and Göteborg Landvetter. Visitors waiting at baggage claim areas can use their spare quarters and euros to set a new high score. People waiting for a flight can try to top that score while getting rid of unspent krona.

You can use whatever coins you have and every cent, euro, or yen goes straight to the Swedish Red Cross, which had traditional donation boxes in the airports for years.

Red Cross spokesman Morgan Olofsson told Euronews the idea of adding retro arcade games to the mix is “a fun new way to also reward people who make a donation – a win-win, so to speak.”

Well, “win-win” until someone beats your high score.

Police Officer Helps Determined Runner Finish Her Race, Instantly Becomes a Viral Hero

Asia Ford finished the Rodes City Run in Louisville, Kentucky, in last place, but to her it's one of her biggest wins.

Ford set out on the 10K with one goal in mind, to complete the race no matter what, reports WHAS 11. After struggling with her weight for years, the mom has been making a concerted effort to shed pounds.

Her weight loss journey was kickstarted after her husband lost a limb to diabetes and she began to worry about what her kids would do if her health started to fail.

"That is when I woke up and I couldn't allow them to be on this earth without my help and the only way I would be able to help them is if I helped myself first," she said.

This determination led Ford – who at her heaviest was 474 lbs., to change her diet, join a exercise boot camp with friends and start training for the Rodes City Run.

After months of working out, Ford arrived at the 10K's start line on Saturday morning 25 lbs. lighter and ready race. She powered through the over six mile course, until reaching mile four, when she started to have trouble breathing. At that point, a car pulled up alongside her.

"I'm not going to let her quit, so I got out and she immediately grabbed my hand," Lt. Aubrey Gregory said.

Seeing that Ford was in need of help, Lt. Gregory stopped his car and offered to drive Ford to the finish line.

"He asked me if I wanted to stop and I was like, 'No,' we have two more miles to go," Ford said.

So the officer joined in, walking hand-in-hand with Ford and her son for the rest of the race. The trio completed the remaining two miles together, sharing stories as they moved towards the finish line.

As they made the final steps, the crowd congregated at the end of the race burst in to cheers.

"Your heart starts to fill up, you get those goose bumps and tingles all over your body," Lt. Gregory said. "When I watched her approach and I started to hear people scream and I let her go right there before the end and to see her raise her hands, there aren't words to express the way I felt seeing her be successful."

The moment not only touched Ford and Lt. Gregory, but thousands of others who heard their story.

Inspired by this touching moment, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer posted two shots of the pair crossing the finish line on his Facebook, these photos have now been shared over 3,000 times.

Lt. Gregory's simple act of kindness and support moved Ford most of all. After completing the race, she posted a special message about the police officer on her Facebook along with thanks to the countless people who have reached out to her after hearing about her uplifting finish.

"It was really a special moment," Ford said of her interaction with Lt. Gregory.
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What a wonderful story, and both the officer and the runner will remember this day forever!

I don't know if it's a typo on the article posted above, but she lost 217 pounds before participating in the marathon. It says 25 above.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Taz_Zoee

I don't know if it's a typo on the article posted above, but she lost 217 pounds before participating in the marathon. It says 25 above.

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Fantastic! Good to know. I copied it from here: http://www.people.com/article/police...an-finish-race So, that's where the 25 came from.

The Smile Sent from Heaven
A grieving mother is comforted by a photograph she never knew existed.
by Lorraine Standish

That smile. If only I could see that smile again...

The colorless walls of the hospital waiting room closed in on me as I watched the minute hand creep around the clock. Three hours down. Two more to go. Oh Lord, this is torture, I thought.

I leaned forward on the stiff couch in the corner of the room and leafed through the dog-eared, coffee-stained magazines that littered a table. Desperate for a distraction. Anything to take my mind off my husband, Myles, undergoing his third heart surgery in less than two years.

But it wasn’t just Myles. Another loved one haunted my thoughts. I flashed back to the day six years ago when our daughter Linda’s life came to a tragic, inevitable end.

I had been in a hospital just like this one. Those same suffocating beige walls closing in on me. The soulless beeping of the heart monitors in the ICU. And Linda lying there helpless, a swelling the size of a tennis ball on the back of her head. Clumps of dried blood still clinging to her scalp.

The official cause of death was head trauma, but Myles and I knew the truth. She had passed out and fallen down the stairs, drunk before breakfast.

If I closed my eyes, if I pushed my memory, I could still see Linda as a happy girl. She had a smile that could make the grumpiest person smile too, like the sun bursting through the clouds. It was hard to pinpoint exactly when that smile began to disappear.

Linda started drinking in high school, maybe to fit in, maybe out of boredom or insecurity, maybe because of me and my history. I’d never know. She dropped out of college and went to rehab. One year later, she was carrying a thermos of vodka to work, “just in case.” No recovery program—not even some time in prison—was enough to divert her from that dark, descending path she was on.

If anyone could understand where that path led, it was me. I knew those depths all too well. I’d been sober since Linda was a baby, but I’d never hid my alcoholism from her. I told her what it was like and how I’d struggled until she was born. She’d even gone to AA meetings with me.

But my salvation was not hers. The program just didn’t take. By age 40, Linda’s liver was failing, and I’d stopped keeping count of the number of blood transfusions she’d had, the number of detoxes and rehabs.

“Mama, I’m gonna get clean,” Linda promised me a year before she died. “You wait and see. I’m going to be happy again.”

I hugged her tight. “Okay, baby girl,” I whispered, wishing I could believe her, wishing I could give her the desire to stop drinking.

The call I’d long dreaded finally came. Linda was in a coma. “There’s too much alcohol in her system,” the doctor said. “We couldn’t operate even if it would help....”

My beautiful, troubled daughter. Gone forever at age 45.

I stood up from the waiting-room couch and began pacing, as if I could walk away from my memories. I twisted my hands together, wringing them. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a smaller room connected to the waiting area.

I wandered toward it and found myself in a cramped, stuffy nook with even more magazines. One stood out. It practically shone—a bright yellow cover featuring lemon pie, my favorite dessert. “Spring Is Coming,” the headline proclaimed, though sunny days were months away.

I took a closer look. An issue of Southern Living magazine from five years before. But it looked brand-new! No creases, no stains, no wear at all, apparently.

It was so strangely well preserved that I couldn’t resist flipping through, pausing now and again to peruse a recipe. I found an article about Foley, Alabama, a city close to where Linda once lived.

All at once time stopped; the waiting room walls receded. It was just me and the magazine in my hands. I stared at an unmistakable image. There, on page 32, in one of the photos from around town, was a young woman, beaming as if lit from within.

That smile. Those eyes, so full of life. Of love. Linda. She looked happy. Joyous. Free from the pain that clouded her life. I held the magazine to my chest, dazed, yet comforted.

Myles got through his surgery just fine. I contacted Southern Living. They had never gotten Linda’s name. They weren’t sure when the photo was taken, or what the circumstances were. They couldn’t explain how a mint copy would show up after six years in a hospital waiting room.

They did, however, send me a copy of the photograph. Every time I look at it, I take it as a reminder of the healing that awaits us all.
http://www.guideposts.org/sites/guid...?itok=Cg0CSMHx

Harrison Co. principal's efforts to buy shoes for students receives national recognition

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Harrison County elementary school principal has received national recognition for raising money to buy shoes for 200 low-income students.

Heth-Washington Elementary School has one of the highest poverty levels in the county, at 75 percent.

"We've had several students who have had holes in their shoes, the soles were peeling off, we've been using duck tape and staples and tying together shoe strings," said principal Nissa Ellett.

But then students started asking to wear the extra shoes in the nurse's office.

"When that happened, I was just devastated. I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, this is so much bigger than I realize,'" Ellett said.

That prompted Ellett to start a fundraiser to buy a pair of shoes for her 200 students. She hoped to raise $6,300. The response was greater than she could have hoped for.

"In 24 days, we raised $17,000," Ellett said.

People mailed in money from all over the country, along with nice notes. So instead of just a pair of shoes, students got boots, gloves, hats, even candy.

"My perspective on it is if we can meet their basic needs, then they can focus on learning and that what's critical," Ellett said.

Teachers are always going out of their way for their students, but Ellett is receiving national attention for her generosity. She hopes the national spotlight will send a message of the power of a small school.

"Maybe it will spark something in another school district or somewhere else that can help other kids, so to me that's why I'm excited to be able to share the message," she said.
http://www.wdrb.com/story/27826234/h...lipId=11025516

Apple Valley (Minnesota) Brothers Save Police K-9 from Drowning

Maverick is a police dog with the Red Wing Police Department. The 5-year-old German Shepard got away from his handler Wednesday after jumping over his 5-foot-5-inch fence.

“He’s curious and he’s active,” police chief Roger Pohlman said. “He likes to run around, get after things.”

He made his way to a nearby pond, where brothers Shawn and Corey Rose were trout fishing for the day.

“He came right up to us,” Shawn said. “He looked like he was kind of hungry, so we fed him a little bit of a sandwich.”

Shawn and Corey played with Maverick before the dog continued to wander the pond. When Maverick approached a hole in the ice, the ice broke off and the dog fell into the water.

“I said, ‘We’re going to have to rescue this dog if it can’t get out,’” Shawn said.

The brothers, along with a friend, ran to help Maverick.

“My buddy Mike grabbed a chisel and started to chisel the ice to see if we could get a channel to shore so he could get up,” Shawn said.

When that didn’t work, Corey reached into the icy water to grab the 90-pound-dog.

“I figured at least if I fall in, I can get him out, and I knew my brothers would get me out,” Corey said.

As Corey pulled the dog out by his collar up onto the ice, Pohlman was driving by in his squad car and saw the whole rescue.

“I thanked them, and I said, ‘K-9 Maverick thanks you, and the police department thanks you,’” Pohlman said. “I said, ‘That is a trained law enforcement K-9.’”

“I was shocked,” Corey said. “I definitely didn’t know it was a K-9 dog, so I was amazed.”

Pohlman said Maverick’s training helped him keep swimming in the cold water, but it was the quick thinking of the brothers that likely helped save his life.

“I’ll remember this day forever,” Corey said.

Maverick is back on duty with the police department.

https://cbsminnesota.files.wordpress...pg?w=450&h=254

Even well-trained K9 dogs can get in trouble when off duty! Thank goodness those guys were there to rescue him!

What a nice story! So glad that Maverick was rescued, and in such a wonderful way!

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

Heaven-Sent Help to Pay Their Baby’s Bills

We couldn’t afford our newborn’s nursery bill...
by Grace Booth

How could my husband, Doug, be so calm? Sitting on the edge of my bed in the maternity ward, casually flipping through the newspaper like everything would be fine. Everything during my first pregnancy in 1967 had gone fine up to that point. Doug got me to the hospital in plenty of time; six hours later, baby Liz arrived, perfectly healthy, weighing in at exactly eight pounds. I couldn’t wait to be on our way and start our new life as a family of three. Then came the hitch.

“We just need to settle your bill before you can be discharged,” one of the nurses told us.

“The bill?” Doug and I shared a look. Hadn’t we already handled that? We had accounted for every cost—the hospital fee, the doctor’s delivery fee, and all the maternity fees. We’d budgeted down to our last dime.

“Yes, for use of the nursery. It comes to $50,” the nurse said. “Just head to the front desk and they’ll handle your paperwork.”

Fifty dollars! In the 1960s, that kind of money was hard to come by for us. It would be almost $400 today. “We’ll find a way,” Doug said. He turned back to his newspaper, seemingly unconcerned.

We prepared for this day for months, I thought, frustrated. Lord, don’t you want our family to have a good start?

“Grace, look at this!” Doug pointed out a want ad in the paper. I leaned over to read it. Lost: 1964 Cadillac, Louisiana license plate 835-N62.

“So?”

“I saw this car outside the hospital,” Doug said. “I remember it because it was parked oddly, and one of the tires was flat.”

I was sure he was mistaken. Why would the stolen car be here? But Doug wouldn’t be discouraged. “I’ll be right back,” he said. I wasn’t going anywhere.

Doug darted out to the parking lot and returned minutes later. The car was still there, he said—with the license plate 835-N62. Within the hour, the owners arrived and Doug went out to meet them. He came back smiling.

“The owner was so grateful, he gave me a reward,” Doug said, handing me a check.

A check for exactly fifty dollars.

Local (Orlando, Florida) girl runs lemonade stand to help baby get heart transplant
8-year-old raises money for baby's new heart

A local girl's lemonade stand may help a baby boy get a heart transplant.

Caitlyn Lezott, 8, decided to post on social media that she would be selling lemonade to help 3-month-old Beckett get a new heart after her mother told her Beckett's story.

"She read me the story about Baby Beckett and I said I wanted to help," Caitlyn said.

Beckett was born with a bad heart.

"So he's less than 3 months old and is on a donor list for a heart transplant," said Cynterra Lezott, Caitlyn's mother.

"I hope he gets out of surgery soon and has a happy life," said Caitlyn.

Beckett is in a hospital in Gainesville. His mother writes on her blog he is looking good after getting his mechanical heart while awaiting a permanent heart.


Beckett's mother said that she can't wait to meet Caitlyn, Beckett's biggest cheerleader.
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Country's BBQ waitress returns $1,300 found on table

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) -

A social media post helped find a couple who left behind a big chunk of change while visiting a local restaurant, and its how the money was returned that has lots of people talking.

Kantessa Smith, also known as Tessa, has worked at Country's Barbeque location on Mercury Drive for nearly four years. But her Tuesday was not like any other - she found $1,300 left on the table.

"I had clean off the tables and I saw a bunch of trash on the tables, so I tried to grab it but when I did, it wouldn't bend so I opened it and I found a lot of money in an envelope so I just went and found my manager," Smith said.

The single mother of two kids returned 13 $100 bills to her manager.

They then turned to social media to find the rightful owners.

"We got cameras everywhere so he found the time that they came and the time that they left and we went in the office and found them on the camera and zoomed in on the camera and we took pictures and posted on Facebook to see if anyone would notice them," Smith said.

The restaurant posted pictures of the couple on their Facebook page, and it spread quickly on social media Tuesday night and Wednesday, with hundreds of shares and comments until the couple was finally located. They returned to the store the next morning to retrieve the money.

Why did she return it? Smith says she was raised to return things that didn't belong to her.

The restaurant is calling Tessa a hero for the good deed. And people love her story so much, someone started a GoFundMe campaign for her. You can donate by clicking here. http://www.gofundme.com/Kantessa

Link to video: http://www.wtvm.com/clip/11330272/co...d-returns-1300

From People: Heroes Among Us

After a Tragic Loss, Corey Bergman Gives Sick Kids the Gift of Music

Corey Bergman's son, Jared, was 20 years old, a college student who dabbled in drums and keyboard and was a fan of the Dave Matthews Band, when he died from a viral infection on March 26, 2010.

"When a tragedy like this happens, there's one of two ways a person can go," Bergman tells PEOPLE. "They can fall down and collapse or get up and move forward to try to make a difference."

Bergman and his wife Edda decided to make a fresh start after the tragedy, moving from New York to Miami in 2012. Shortly after, Bergman, now 60, started volunteering at Miami Children's Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. Bergman, who had been playing guitar since he was 11 and has been in a band for many years, would play for patients and their families.

He would even let the kids play his guitar, but it was a bit too big for the youngest kids' small hands. So he decided to try teaching kids the ukulele. Placing it in the hands of one little girl at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, "it was magical," Bergman tells PEOPLE.
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Hmmm, I'm not sure I completely agree with the interpretation, but it's an interesting take. It's hard when something "bad" happens to us to see that it might be something "good" for another.

If you find someone's wallet -- no matter how much you need the $$ -- I don't think it's ever the right thing to take the money. I wouldn't see it as the "Lord providing" myself. I've been told that I'm a "Pollyanna", but even I have a hard time seeing the good in this situation....

How to Become an Angel
When a purse goes missing, it's found by an angel in just about the nick of time...
by Colleen Hughes

I’d driven all the way home before realizing I didn’t have my purse. I’d left it in the baby seat of the grocery cart I wheeled out to the parking lot. My iPhone, a week’s worth of spending money, my date book full of appointments– how could I have been so absent-minded?

My daughter Evie was with me in the passenger seat, which was highly unusual, and distracting. I mustn’t have checked to be sure I’d gotten everything out of the cart. “I forgot my purse, Evie. We have to go back.” A 15-minute drive. I pulled out of the driveway, immediately sorry I didn’t put Evie out first: “You left your whole purse?”

This wasn’t the first time I chanted the “Please let me find it” prayer. People are good, I told myself at the red light. The huge Lost and Found room at Grand Central Station proved it.

I’d been happily reunited with everything I’d ever left on the commuter trains that run in and out of the city. Even a bag of brand-new Christmas toys anyone could have claimed. But finders didn’t seem to be keepers, as far as I could see.

Evie’s cell phone rang at the next light. Her sister got a call at home. My purse was at customer service in the grocery store, ask for Tia. Halleluiah!

“Did you turn in my purse?” I asked the kid rounding up the carts in the lot. I’d give him a tip. “No,” he said, “I didn’t see it.”

Inside Tia handed me my purse. “A customer rolled it in, left it right there in the cart where he found it.”

“Are people the best, or what?” I said. “Thank you so much.”

Back in the car I pulled out my phone to call home. Date book, wallet… all there. On a lark I opened the wallet. “Evie, all the cash is gone. Every dollar.” Who was to blame?

“Well, Mom, you left it there for anybody…” She was blaming me? “And maybe for somebody who needed it more than you.” I didn’t agree, not completely. But it was a better thought than blaming her, or the cart kid, or the customer, or who knew who, and it didn’t matter.

The world is full of angels on earth, and maybe a little windfall will help someone out there become one.

Hmm, maybe? Hard to know what to feel, isn't it! At least the purse, phone and credit cards were intact!

Second Helping: Cafe Gives Juvenile Offenders Second Chance

DALLAS — This is one place that will give you a second chance. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings was on hand to break bread and officially welcome Cafe Momentum to Thanksgiving Square downtown.

“It’s so important for our business to understand that greatness can come from tough times,” Mayor Rawlings said.

It may look like your typical corner cafe, but this place has something special that isn’t on the menu.

“Our running joke at Cafe Momentum is that we take kids out of jail and teach them to play with knives and fires — and makes Dallas a better community,” Cafe Momentum Executive Chef Chad Houser said.

Yeah, you heard right. For the past five years, Cafe Momentum has taken 160 young men from juvenile detention centers and given them the chance to get real world work experience, serving up something other than jail time.

“We’re seeing kids that never thought they would have hope, didn’t have inspiration in life, actually going on to great things,” Houser said.

Tamarrion Washington is one of those kids. “When I was 14, I committed a crime, and I ended up going to JDC,” he said.

It took going to a detention center for Washington to realize he was definitely on the wrong path. But that was then, and this is now.

“I learned how to, you know, go to work, come home and take care of my daughter,” Washington said. Eight-month-old Leah is his biggest motivator.

“I want her to know that she do have a father, you know, and that her dad always been there, since day one for her,” he said.

And this dad is now getting the momentum he needs to turn his life around.
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Norwalk High School Students Get Lesson In Giving Back, Raise $20K For Charity

NORWALK (CBSLA.com) — Several high school seniors Tuesday donated more than $20,000 to several charities as part of a fundraising project at Norwalk High School.

According to school officials, each student researched a variety of charities and presented the organization they felt connected to within their government classes.

When presentations concluded, every class voted for a specific charity as the recipient of their fundraising efforts.

The following charities were chosen as recipients: Autism Research Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Doorway for Women and Families, Dream Big Project, National Hemophilia Foundation, National Kidney Foundation, Rady Children’s Hospital, Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, Susan G. Komen Foundation, Relay for Life, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.

Around 10:15 a.m., students presented representatives of the 12 charities with checks inside the school gymnasium.

Many seniors were personally affected by the issues that the selected charities address. Students explained their reasoning for the selection of each charity.

Two students — Arianna Real, whose mother is on dialysis, and Jian Bravo, whose little sister had her kidney replaced to treat cancer — presented a check for $1,500 to the National Kidney Foundation.

“My sister was diagnosed with cancer at a very young age. We weren’t sure if she was going to make it or not because she developed a tumor that was the size of a football ,” Bravo said.

As of Monday, the students raised more than $20,000 for the charities in only three weeks, doubling their original goal of $10,000 officials explained.
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Brooke Thomas Gives Away 1,000 Lunches a Week to Needy Kids

Brooke Thomas remembers being just seven while going through the lunch line at Centennial Elementary School in Dade City, Florida, and catching her friends staring at her full tray.

"They didn't have money in their account and I felt bad so I bought them food,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively.

Her mom, Dianna Thomas, had no idea what was going on.

"Brooke was going through the lunch money in her account so quickly – quicker than you normally would – so I started asking her what she was buying," Dianna, 42, tells PEOPLE.

"It turned out she was buying food for some of her peers at school," she says. "I realized it was happening on more than one occasion, and that's when we realized the issue with hunger in the area."

It turns out more than seventy-five percent of the kids at Brooke's school are on free and reduced lunches, so the family decided to do something more permanent to help.

They came up with the idea for what is now The Thomas Promise Foundation, a non-profit that has packed 200,000 meals – about 1,000 every week – for schoolkids in the Tampa area since its inception in 2012.

Brooke, now an 11-year-old who takes dance and horseback riding lessons, also spends several days a week at The Thomas Promise headquarters helping load backpacks full of food.

Her teachers say the adorable and bubbly blonde is an inspiration to her classmates.

"I wish I had more students like Brooke in the building that looked at life like she does," Peggy Gilbert, her third-grade teacher, tells PEOPLE.

"She is the student that the other students know they can go to if they need anything," she says.

"I think the foundation is remarkable," she says. "I watch these kids go home with food that they might not have access to on the weekends and to know this all stemmed from Brooke's young mind, it just blows me away."

Each week, volunteers at The Thomas Promise Foundation pack and give away about a thousand backpacks filled with enough food to get students at 19 elementary and middle schools through the weekend.

They also offer a food pantry to the high school students in the area.

Dianna now runs the foundation. Brooke's father, Wade Thomas, 44, the owner of a local car dealership, donated an empty building on his property that now serves as the foundation's headquarters.

Area businesses donate money that the Thomas Promise then uses to shop with their partner, Feeding America, getting food at drastically reduced prices.

When Christy Cook, a mother of two boys, lost her husband – her high school sweetheart and the family's sole provider – she could barely pay the bills.

The Thomas Promise gave the family food and school supplies for weeks.

"They helped us in our time of need," Cook, 40, of Zephyrhills, Florida, tells PEOPLE.

"We lost everything," she says. "They didn't have to help us. They went above and beyond. What an amazing little girl."

Dianna is amazed at how her daughter has stayed so involved in the cause over the years.

"I'm very proud of her," she says. "It was very nice to see that she was so compassionate and so concerned at such a young age.

"You hope you're raising them to be compassionate," she says, "but to really see her want to make sure kids are receiving everything they need, she is just a great kid."

As for Brooke, she's just glad she's able to help other kids.

"I feel good knowing they have food to eat over the weekend," she says.

Everone should be proud of Brooke, I am.

Recovered Shelter Cat Spends His Time Helping Other Animals Heal

He may have the best bedside manner in the game. Meet Rademenes the healer cat of Poland's Bydgoszcz Animal Shelter.

The doting black feline first arrived at the shelter as a patient, according to the New York Post. Rademenes was dropped off with a serious respiratory infection. His chances of recovery looked bleak for a while, but the feline pulled through.

After helping to save Rademenes's life, veterinarian Lucyna Kuziel-Zawalich decided to keep the kitty and let him hang around the shelter. That's when Rademenes started doing something rather remarkable.

Without any prompting, the cat started sitting with and comforting animals recovering at the shelter. The nurse cat now spends his days cozying up to cats and dogs who just got out of surgery, helping them stay calm and feel loved.

Ear licks, hugs, nuzzles and purrs are just a few of Rademenes's many affectionate treatment plans. Love is the best medicine, indeed.
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What a wonderful story and what a beautiful kitty! This story absolutely made my day. I'd love to give him non stop lovies :love:

Rademenes is a wonderful cat.:love:

Oh, how wonderful! God bless you, dearest Rademenes and all the animals you help heal and all the good people who got you better and then realized you were turning into the shelter's nurse.

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

$5,000 Bicycle Donated To Upland Girl, 10, To Help Alleviate Disabilities

UPLAND (CBSLA.com) — A 10-year-old girl Thursday received a special bike to help alleviate her disabilities.

Kayla Hall has suffered from a congenital disease, known as Prader-Willi Syndrome, since birth. The syndrome causes low muscle tone, reduced mental ability and insatiable hunger. Kayla also suffers from a severe form of juvenile scoliosis, and wears a cast to correct her spine.

Unfortunately, the back condition left her unable to do the one thing she loves the most, which is to ride a bike, unaided.

Kayla’s mother, Melissa, was unable to afford the $5,000 bicycle that would accommodate the special needs.
CBS2 and KCAL9 viewers stepped up to help out after Melissa — a single working mother — set up a GoFundMe page.

“I thought it was a dream,” Melissa told CBS2’s Kristine Lazar, “I thought this kind of stuff doesn’t happen.”

On Thursday morning the dream came true when Kayla got a bike.

The dream started in February when CBS2 first did a piece on Kayla and her need for wheels.
After the piece aired, funds poured in.

“That night, I was in my living room,” says Castillo, “I was crying and laughing all at the same time.”

One individual alone gave $3,000. The $5,000 goal was quickly shattered.

And then the news got even better, a local non-profit — Variety: The Children’s Charity of Southern California — offered to donate the bike so Castillo could save the GoFundMe money for Kayla’s daily care.

“When you put a child with disabilities on a bike,” says Elizabeth O’Neill with Variety Children’s Charity, “those disabilities often just fade away.”

Castillo is in awe of the generosity of the public and Variety.
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Florida Crocheter Is Dedicated to Helping Kids Beat Cancer in Style

Samantha Mutschler has turned her hobby into a way to help others.

The West Orange, Florida, resident spends as much time and money as she can creating colorful and cozy hats for children fighting cancer, reports the West Orange Times & Observer.

Mutschler's mission to cover the head of every young cancer patient began when her family friend, Katie Karp, was diagnosed with bone cancer. Wanting to comfort the 12-year-old in some way, Mutschler, 24, decided to make a blanket for the girl. The creation was such a hit that soon Mutschler was being asked to make wraps for the patients of the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children through Katie's Kause, a nonprofit set up by Karp's family that works to keep kids with cancer optimistic.

Wanting to give more to the children she was cheering up, Mutschler began crocheting in 2011, making simple hats to include with her blankets. In a few months Mutschler had created her own cancer support program, Unraveled by Samantha Dawn, and was taking requests from young patients and their families for hats.

From SpongeBob SquarePants to sharks, she has crocheted beanies featuring all kinds of characters and animals, with Disney princesses being a big favorite. Mutschler has donated more than 160 of her hats so far, sending some as far as Holland and Australia.

Mutschler is willing to add and alter any details a child desires in order to make their hat perfect for them. To add even more magic to her gifts, she often makes care packages with stuffed animals and dolls to send along with her hats.

Mutschler is currently working on turning this passion project into a nonprofit, and she has a GoFundMe page to help support her drive to bring smiles to young cancer patients.

"It brings joy to them; it brings joy to me," Mutschler said. "I know I'm doing what God wants me to do. My dream is to one day see a team of ladies working for me in getting more hats out to these precious warriors."

If you would like to commission a hat from Mutschler or donate to her work, visit Unraveled by Samantha Dawn's Facebook page.
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Homeless Man in Florida Discovers Forgotten Bank Account Collecting Pension With Cop's Help

A homeless man who has been living in a cardboard box in downtown Tampa, Florida, for over three years may soon have a modest-sized apartment and a pension check coming in every month, police said.

With the help of a cop and homeless shelter case manager, John Helinski, 62, discovered a forgotten bank account that has been collecting Social Security disability benefits for years, he told ABC News today.

Helinski is looking forward to having a place of his own to call "home" and thankful for the help he has received, he added.

Tampa Police Department Officer Daniel McDonald and Helinski’s case manager, Charles Inman of Drug Abuse and Comprehensive Coordinating Office Inc. (DACCO), have spent the past few weeks trying to help Helinski locate his personal identification documents to get him into housing, Officer McDonald said.

“John came to the DACCO Community Housing Solutions Center last December when it first opened,” McDonald said.

Inman, he added, asked him to help with Helinski’s case because all Helinski’s personal identifying documents and ID were stolen and lost while he was out on the streets.

“As a homeless liaison officer, the bread and butter of my work often involves hopping department to department trying to help homeless people find the ID they need in order to get things like work and housing,” McDonald said.

It’s unclear how Helinski became homeless, but Helinski did say he was born in Poland as a U.S. citizen because his mother was a U.S. citizen just visiting, McDonald said.

Helinski added he believed he had a Social Security number and benefits but thought it was cancelled, McDonald said.

“First, I drove him personally to the local tax collector’s office, where he was able to get a temporary State of Florida ID card,” McDonald explained.

Using the temp ID McDonald was able to help Helinski order his birth record from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, he said.

“With his consular birth certificate and temporary ID, we went to the Social Security office, and I just walked up to them and said, ‘This man used to have benefits, can you help us?’” McDonald said.

It turned out Helinski had always been receiving benefits, and he just wasn’t aware because he lost his debit card and had no access to his bank account, McDonald said.

McDonald then drove Helinski to his old bank, where they found his account, "which had still been collecting pension money over time,” he said. “And since he now had his temporary ID card, he could get access to the account.”

Helinski is still at the DACCO Community Housing Solutions Center, but McDonald said Helinski would likely be able to get permanent housing soon.

Though Helinski did not want to disclose the amount in his bank account, McDonald said he was receiving enough in monthly pension payments to have enough to pay for rent for a modest apartment and food without having to work.

Helinski's case manager Inman added he and McDonald are extremely happy for their client.

"This situation looked really difficult, and I wasn’t sure how it was going to end up," Inman told ABC News today. "If it failed, it meant we’d put a 62-year-old man on the street, and Officer McDonald and I were not OK with that."

McDonald is one of few police officers whose work revolves around helping homeless people in their assigned areas.

“We’re uniformed cops with police cars, but we want homeless people to trust us,” he said. “Our job is not to arrest someone. It’s to help them. Homeless people are still accountable to the law, but they’re now starting to see we can be trusted, and this new model and field of policing is gaining popularity very quickly, I think.”
https://gma.yahoo.com/video/homeless...150219454.html

How nice they were able to help, and he will be homeless no more! Thank goodness the bank had not closed his account!

Another article on Radamenes. http://blog.theanimalrescuesite.com/...0420113838.jpg

http://d1vmcse0jge0ha.cloudfront.net...Radamenes2.jpghttp://d1vmcse0jge0ha.cloudfront.net...Radamenes3.jpg
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Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kuhio98

Recovered Shelter Cat Spends His Time Helping Other Animals Heal

He may have the best bedside manner in the game. Meet Rademenes the healer cat of Poland's Bydgoszcz Animal Shelter.

The doting black feline first arrived at the shelter as a patient, according to the New York Post. Rademenes was dropped off with a serious respiratory infection. His chances of recovery looked bleak for a while, but the feline pulled through.

After helping to save Rademenes's life, veterinarian Lucyna Kuziel-Zawalich decided to keep the kitty and let him hang around the shelter. That's when Rademenes started doing something rather remarkable.

Without any prompting, the cat started sitting with and comforting animals recovering at the shelter. The nurse cat now spends his days cozying up to cats and dogs who just got out of surgery, helping them stay calm and feel loved.

Ear licks, hugs, nuzzles and purrs are just a few of Rademenes's many affectionate treatment plans. Love is the best medicine, indeed.
http://img2-1.timeinc.net/people/i/2...at-vet-800.jpghttp://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/201...-vet-1-435.jpg

---

From People Magazine Heroes Among Us: 'SoupMan' David Timothy Has Provided More Than a Million Meals to Dallas's Hungry

Every weekday at lunch time, a white van pulls up in a nondescript parking lot in south Dallas.

People expect it. The van – called the SoupMobile – has never missed a single lunch in 11 years. And it makes quite an entrance, with the Rocky theme song blaring from the speakers.

"There's a method to the madness with the song," says David and Timothy, founder of SoupMobile.

"It's a story of hope about someone who's down and out, and who literally rose to the top. Our message is that you, too, may be down and out, but with hard work and perseverance, you can also rise up out of that."

SoupMobile's mission is to reach out to the homeless and feed them. Since 2003, Timothy and his band of volunteers have served 600 meals a day to those who are hungry. That adds up to about 1.7 million plates of hot, nutritious food. And counting.

"It's way beyond, 'Here's a bowl of soup,' " says Timothy, who is known around town as the SoupMan. "We consider the homeless to be our friends and family."

Before he became SoupMan, Timothy, 66, was living a more conventional lifestyle as a pension consultant.

"I think most people would have said I was a decent person," he recalls. "But everything in my life was pretty much focused on myself. I was not helping my fellow man. It wasn't rewarding."

Having grown up poor, one of four children raised by a divorced mom in Detroit, "I experienced hunger first-hand as a child," he recalls. "I have vivid memories of that – and not just memories of being hungry."

"A lot of nights, dinner was two pieces of white bread and butter, with sugar sprinkled on it. And when we had cereal, it was with water poured on it. To this day, I still eat my cereal with water."

Although he often went to bed hungry, that isn't the most difficult memory: "The hardest part was seeing my mother going through all of that pressure and stress. It tore her apart to send us to bed hungry."

His childhood is one of the main reasons Timothy is so passionate about feeding the homeless today, because he knows what extreme hunger feels like."

"Everybody can understand if you skip a meal. But you and I know we're going to get that next meal. When I was a child, we didn't know if there would be a next meal. So it's not just the hunger, but the fear that went along with that."

In 2003, Timothy asked by a friend what he truly wanted to do with his life. His reply: "I want to feed the homeless." So he quit his corporate job, bought a 1985 van (the "Soup 1") with more than 250,000 miles on it, gathered up a few volunteers and started serving the hungry.

His wife, Peggy, was on board for the life change from the start. Although she passed away from multiple sclerosis a little more than a year after the SoupMobile started, "every time I get in and start the vehicle, I feel her there with us," Timothy says.

During lunch service, which gets going quickly thanks to an advance team that sets up the tables, Timothy and his staff greet the people in line with hugs and laughter. There are no limits on how many times someone can go through the line; they can continue filling up as long as there is food on the tables.

One afternoon, Timothy recalls, a homeless man approached him after lunch and thanked him for the meal, as often happens.

"He said, 'I hadn't eaten for awhile, so I was really hungry. I want to help you; I want to donate something.' " Timothy insisted it wasn't necessary.

"But he reached into the pocket of his threadbare blue jeans and gave me all that he had, which was nine cents," Timothy says. "Nine pennies, and he gave them to me. It was all I could do not to have tears in my eyes. It was the best donation I've ever received."

Timothy has seen first-hand the transformations that can occur with a little assistance and belief in someone. SoupMobile's head chef, Thomas Waters, 59, was homeless himself for years. After learning about the SoupMobile, he worked up the nerve to ask for a different kind of help.

"I came in one day and just asked him for a chance," says Waters, who grew up poor and started stealing cars when he was still in school. "I'd hit rock-bottom, and it was the hardest thing to face. You feel lost when you don't have any help."

When Timothy learned that Waters had experience as a cook, he offered him the job as head chef for SoupMobile.

"By the grace of God, he gave me a second chance," Waters says. "I told him he'd never regret it – and he tells me all the time that he doesn't."

When he's out serving meals these days, "people come up to me to say thank you," Waters says. "It feels great to give back. Anybody can receive, but giving back is the most important thing."

Back at the SoupMobile headquarters in a nondescript building in downtown Dallas, Timothy sits at his desk, surrounded by Rocky memorabilia.

Timothy, who draws a salary now but was paid a dollar for the first two years, has a staff of about five to 10 people, depending on the time of year. Although he's the boss, his chair, however, doesn't seem too comfortable; it's held together by what appears to be duct tape.

Lon Ricker, the foundation's director of development, has been one of many to offer to buy him a new one, "but [Timothy] says, 'No, no, no,'" Ricker says. "It helps him to remember his roots."

"This chair goes back to the founding of the SoupMobile," Timothy explains. "It helps keep me humble and to remember it's not about me."

"We've all heard the expression, 'There but by the grace of God go I,'" he adds. "We've changed that to, 'There go I.' We're the same. We're all just people trying to make their way in this life."
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